Metacognitive Therapy (MCT)

Metacognitive Therapy was developed by Adrian Wells. It directly reduces worry, rumination and unhelpful thinking styles and modifies the specific beliefs behind them.

It is a psychological treatment that helps people to manage worries and low mood through reducing unhelpful styles of thinking and has been shown to alleviate depression and anxiety in mental health settings.

Extensive evidence shows that a particular style of thinking dominated by rumination (dwelling on the past) and worry (concerns about the future) maintains emotional distress.

Metacognitive therapy helps people to discover new and more helpful ways to react to negative or distressing thoughts so they are less likely to dwell on them, resulting in a positive effect on anxiety and mood.

Group-Metacognitive Therapy

Patients who are currently experiencing distress and who opt to participate in this study will be randomly allocated to either a group-based metacognitive therapy session weekly for six weeks or will continue with their usual care along the cardiac rehabilitation pathway.

Who will deliver the sessions?

A trained health professional will deliver the therapy, in most cases a practice nurse or physiotherapist.

How big are the groups?

The groups will be fairly small (3-12 patients) and patients will not have to talk about anything that they would like to remain confidential. Participation will not affect a patient's current or future healthcare.

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